tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-153818772019-05-03T04:25:56.209-04:00Danica Lo / PersonalUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4307125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15381877.post-33747231977604864002019-03-21T23:44:00.000-04:002019-03-21T23:44:33.269-04:00Subjective list of favorite places to eat in NYCTomorrow is my last day at Food &amp; Wine, where I've been the digital editorial director for the past two-and-a-half-ish years. While I spent most of my career in fashion, I was also previously the executive editor at Epicurious. And I grew up in New York City. So I have some pretty specific thoughts and opinions on where I like to acquire and eat food in town. People always ask me where they should eat, and this is where I tell people I like to go (when people I don't like ask, I'll just give them any old internet list). This probably isn't a list of usual suspects, it's very my-taste. Also, it's random, but I think of it as the places I'll miss eating the most after I move to Hong Kong next week.<br /><br /><b>My go-to pizza place: </b>On Seamless, I always order the pepperoni-jalapeno pizza from <a href="http://www.eastvillagepizza.net/">East Village Pizza</a>. Once a year I'll get sit-down-restaurant pizza with some friends, usually it's somewhere like <a href="http://www.johnsbrickovenpizza.com/">John's of Bleecker</a>, <a href="http://www.patsyspizzeria.us/">Patsy's</a>, or <a href="https://www.grimaldispizzeria.com/">Grimaldi's</a>, but these aren't the pizzas I crave. The pizza I crave is New York by-the-slice corner pizzeria pizza, with pepperoni and jalapenos.<br /><br /><b>My go-to neighborhood restaurant:</b> Cafe Loup, RIP. Nothing else compares. If it ever re-opens, get the roquefort salad and bavette frites. <br /><br /><b>My go-to Chinese restaurant:</b> My favorite American Chinese food spot for the past 15+ years is <a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/sammys-noodle-shop-and-grill-new-york">Sammy's Noodle Shop</a> on Sixth Ave. I like everything, but when I want to feel especially weekend-y, I'll order the General Tso's Chicken or Fish and a noodle soup. They make a good hot and sour soup and a good sliced beef and peppers dish, too. If I feel like something a bit more regionally-focused, I'll have weekend lunch at <a href="https://nyclesia.com/">Le Sia</a> in the East Village. The lobster sticky rice at <a href="http://congeevillagerestaurants.com/">Congee Village</a> is great, too (and available via Postmates).<br /><br /><b>Best steakhouse:</b> Pretty sure I've already told everyone I know my opinion on this, but the <a href="http://thebeatriceinn.com/">Beatrice Inn</a> is my favorite steak restaurant in New York City. I would go so far as to call it my favorite restaurant experience, overall, in New York City right now. <br /><br /><b>Best sit-down tacos:</b> This is a tough one for New York. I know there are good spots at Chelsea Market and in Murray Hill and stuff, but in my neighborhood, I'll always choose <a href="https://www.empellon.com/location/taqueria/">Empellon Taqueria</a>, which has never failed me. <br /><br /><b>Where I get my bagels:</b> I probably eat the most bagels from <a href="https://www.blackseedbagels.com/">Black Seed</a>, because they have a kiosk in Hudson Eats, just downstairs from my office. On the weekends I'll swing by <a href="http://www.murraysbagels.com/">Murray's Bagels</a>. I like a salt bagel with lox spread or egg salad. My parents like the whitefish from Murray's.<br /><br /><b>Favorite breakfast:</b> If someone fancy is taking me to breakfast on an expense account, we'll go to <a href="https://www.parkernewyork.com/eat/normas/">Norma's</a> in the Parker. It's very <i>extra</i> and one time I sat a table away from Hulk Hogan, who was a hero to me when I was a kid and became kind of an anti-hero to me after he took down Gawker using some billionaire's money. On my own, when I'm jet lagged, I'll head to Chinatown for rice rolls and Eggo-and-condensed-milk sandwiches from <a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/m-star-cafe-new-york">iM Star Cafe</a> or pick up pork-and-thousand-year-old-egg congee and some fried bread from <a href="https://bigwongking.com/">Big Wong</a>. <br /><br /><b>Best work lunch spot:</b> There's no good answer to this question.<br /><br /><b>Best seeing friends you don't see a lot dinner spot for a small group:</b> I think, with groups, dietary restrictions and preferences is always the hardest thing to deal with, so I like to pick somewhere that has options—like <a href="https://www.figandolive.com/">Fig &amp; Olive</a> in Meatpacking or the new <a href="http://www.thestandardgrill.com/">Standard Grill</a>, which I tried a few weeks ago and think is pretty great. There are a lot of options on the menu that don't involve sauces or dairy or wheat, which is great for your dining companions who don't eat those things.<br /><br /><b>Best fun bar for grown-ups where you can sit down and actually have a conversation:</b> My go-tos are Japanese-inspired bars, <a href="https://www.barmoga.com/">Moga</a> on Houston and <a href="https://www.katanakitten.com/">Katana Kitten</a>. I also used to take a lot of drinks meetings at Cafe Loup, but RIP, see above. <br /><br /><b>Oh no, you're in midtown:</b> Eat katsu curry at <a href="http://www.katsuhama.com/">Katsuhama</a>, I like the location on 47th and Fifth. <br /><br />OK that's all I can think of right now, off the top of my head. Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15381877.post-15757919578652141112018-12-19T09:32:00.000-05:002018-12-19T09:32:21.199-05:00My history with long train ridesI remembered last night that I've previously taken two long-form train trips, spanning states, provinces, countries, and days, that were some of the best journeys of my life—for completely different reasons. <br /><br />In 2013, I joined Levi's on the brand's coast-to-coast #StationToStation adventure, where they commissioned an artist to curate a multi-city art-meets-music pop-up event series—with the entire crew, plus artists, musicians, and media, traveling between each city by train.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-THu43bZRe1M/XBpU-RScb4I/AAAAAAACAbY/NP-gykVixsYgefoFBPHp8ElACfHUa4xSQCLcBGAs/s1600/F17CE3AF-DA8D-4462-94C8-E37DB1242FFA.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-THu43bZRe1M/XBpU-RScb4I/AAAAAAACAbY/NP-gykVixsYgefoFBPHp8ElACfHUa4xSQCLcBGAs/s640/F17CE3AF-DA8D-4462-94C8-E37DB1242FFA.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The Levi's team started in NYC, but I joined them in Santa Fe and rode all the way to Los Angeles. In between we stopped in Winslow, Arizona, where Ed Ruscha's brother made us omelets and Jackson Browne sang his Winslow, Arizona, song. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BUtsl0HQFG0/XBpVlmobxXI/AAAAAAACAbw/THIxFxv8FaILDmdOEevZFHdpQexj-xFFgCLcBGAs/s1600/B8C31B01-A9AF-4AA6-A104-EB7C019942F2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BUtsl0HQFG0/XBpVlmobxXI/AAAAAAACAbw/THIxFxv8FaILDmdOEevZFHdpQexj-xFFgCLcBGAs/s640/B8C31B01-A9AF-4AA6-A104-EB7C019942F2.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Then Barstow, where Levi's booked out a massive drive-in theater in the middle of the desert, I saw Beck perform for the first time (wow), and a massive faux-UFO blew in overhead lighting up the sky at the end of the night. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JQ3hdlkE4w4/XBpVz0L9LBI/AAAAAAACAb0/C4dGzK1zPMYj93LpA2QFAEp3AYcaK8L7ACLcBGAs/s1600/FD140BE0-C7D9-4BBD-8191-A4BC925CBB8C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JQ3hdlkE4w4/XBpVz0L9LBI/AAAAAAACAb0/C4dGzK1zPMYj93LpA2QFAEp3AYcaK8L7ACLcBGAs/s640/FD140BE0-C7D9-4BBD-8191-A4BC925CBB8C.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>There was a lot more to the trip that I'm not remembering right now—catching Linda Perry at an open mic in Pioneertown, driving down Route 66, a crochet museum at Joshua Tree National Park, and wrapping up the week ensconced in a suite at Chateau Marmont. But it was epic. And epic is an understatement in this case. I'll never forget the feeling of crossing the Southwestern part of the U.S. on a train with a dozen famous musicians, everyone and everything kitted out by Levi's; and I was lucky to make some lifelong friends on that trip, as well. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TN9XVbXXovo/XBpV6yD0OoI/AAAAAAACAb8/bXX70fOesCo3hS-OLaymdRJWWY44wbRuQCLcBGAs/s1600/AB300A8C-8355-42DD-8BC3-3BCC0ED6B781.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="475" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TN9XVbXXovo/XBpV6yD0OoI/AAAAAAACAb8/bXX70fOesCo3hS-OLaymdRJWWY44wbRuQCLcBGAs/s640/AB300A8C-8355-42DD-8BC3-3BCC0ED6B781.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Then, in 2016, after leaving WWD and before joining Food &amp; Wine, I rode the Rocky Mountaineer from Vancouver to Banff—and, for me, this trip was less emotionally epic (I had fewer *feelings* on this train ride), but mind-broadening and visually stunning in a way that only a luxury glass-domed cross-country journey through the Canadian Rockies can be. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-55FPiurx8GE/XBpWFSuVZHI/AAAAAAACAcE/2Tk-7ju0HkwLMrHFkZgzVfPCE8WcHC20gCLcBGAs/s1600/21B3D839-B898-459B-82DA-8C223447A71A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="427" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-55FPiurx8GE/XBpWFSuVZHI/AAAAAAACAcE/2Tk-7ju0HkwLMrHFkZgzVfPCE8WcHC20gCLcBGAs/s640/21B3D839-B898-459B-82DA-8C223447A71A.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>This was also the first time I was introduced to the Fairmont Hotels in Canada, and wow, Fairmonts in Canada, especially the tranformed railroad hotels the chain operates throughout the Rockies, are some of my favorite properties in the world—especially the haunted one in Banff.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kMYwLT-12Kk/XBpWPWBQCgI/AAAAAAACAcM/qyMEMIkGxsQEIqMTSpFDWJ2KODuVNOvrgCLcBGAs/s1600/AC51588E-AB5E-4206-9CD4-DCB446A33B87.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kMYwLT-12Kk/XBpWPWBQCgI/AAAAAAACAcM/qyMEMIkGxsQEIqMTSpFDWJ2KODuVNOvrgCLcBGAs/s640/AC51588E-AB5E-4206-9CD4-DCB446A33B87.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15381877.post-50274837403618752352018-12-18T21:16:00.000-05:002018-12-31T22:32:51.159-05:00I'm on a 30-hour train ride<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Cfnpxo3GUtY" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></center><br />The last time I tried to sleep on an overnight train was more than ten years ago—September 2008, when Tuomas, Chris, and I booked a "private triple cabin" on the 23:35 from Milan to Paris. We thought taking the train would make it easier to carry Tuomas' collection from the show (in Italy) to the showroom (in France). LOL on us. Our room on the train was minuscule—probably the same size as the Viewliner Roomette I'm in right now, but with three bunk tiers instead of just the two, and only a communal toilet in the hall.<br /><br />I woke up at 6:30 this morning. It's my first day of real vacation—I have the next week-ish off, including Christmas—and I hadn't planned anything because I've been traveling a lot: the Celebrity Edge launch a couple of weeks ago straight into Art Basel in Miami, then back in New York for just a couple of days before heading out to Aspen for EMP Winter House. I hate wasting vacation days, though, and I'd just done a mini-staycation ahead of Thanksgiving, so over the past week I've been casually looking around for something to do, maybe just for a few days. I looked at quick trips to Asia, Dubai, Aswan—all too expensive because I was booking flights so last-minute. There was one point where I was thisclose to boarding a cruise to Antarctica for New Year's—but that fell through at the last minute, it's OK, everything happens for a reason.<br /><br />But this morning when I woke up, the first thought that popped into my head was: I've never been to New Orleans. Fast forward eight hours and I'm boarding the Amtrak Crescent for the 30-hour train ride from New York's Penn Station to New Orleans' Union Terminal. Right this minute, I'm about to head to sleep—this time I'll probably really sleep, not like the Milan-to-Paris journey ten years ago when I was younger and could stay up all night looking out the window into the dark as we sped through Switzerland. I love train travel, especially long-distance—the longest train trip I'd been on before this one was a 15-hour trip up the East Coast from Savannah to New York a few years back (the fashion publicist in charge of booking was horrified I wanted to take the train rather than fly and almost refused my request to travel by land). In college, my New York friends who couldn't drive (like me) and I would take the Amtrak Vermonter the seven hours up to White River Junction, back and forth during school breaks. I love how long train rides hold the promise of endless hours of possibility—of doing nothing at all or something potentially really productive (I have two books with me along with the latest issue of the New Yorker—I had a moment today when I thought I might want to bring my laptop so I could bang out a book proposal while on board). <br /><br />OK, that's all for now. More from New Orleans to come.<br /><br /><center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/W856FhbHLC4" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15381877.post-6053727884271154402018-12-13T18:56:00.001-05:002018-12-13T18:56:09.289-05:00Reasons I love AspenI'm in Aspen for the seventh time—I love it here. It's the quintessential (super rich, very fancy) small American town and if I had a bazillion dollars I could see myself living here, at least part of the year. Here's an incomplete and very random list of reasons I love Aspen, Colorado.<br /><br /><ol><li>The manageable, walk-able size of town.</li><li><a href="http://www.hickoryhouseribs.com/">Hickory House Barbecue</a> (get the ribs)</li><li>The shopping (all the usual luxury suspects)</li><li>Speaking of shopping, there's an <a href="http://www.aviatornation.com/">Aviator Nation</a> here, they make my favorite sweatpants in the world.</li><li>The relaxed outdoor recreation culture</li><li>You don't need to dress up, pretty much ever.&nbsp;</li><li><a href="http://www.foodandwine.com/classic">The Food &amp; Wine Classic in Aspen</a> is the best food festival in America.</li><li>The luxury condos and all the marble and dark wood furniture.</li><li>The luxury hotels and hotel dining. I love a good hotel lobby bar and this place has them in spades.</li><li>Great restaurants everywhere</li><li>The oxygen bar at the St. Regis is one of my favorite places, having those tubes stuck up my nose and lounging in a pile of faux fur blankets makes me feel like Edina from AbFab.</li><li>The air</li><li>All the people I've ever met who live here full-time are A+++++ humans.</li></ol>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15381877.post-1382452979523081532018-12-09T22:20:00.000-05:002018-12-09T22:20:00.776-05:00My Interpol driver<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IDx9uQC2_nI" width="560"></iframe></center><br />On Thursday morning a black car picked me up from Celebrity Cruises terminal 25 in Fort Lauderdale to drive me to the Four Seasons Miami on Brickell. The driver was a cheerful, chatty, friendly older man who told me he'd been specially requested, that he'd driven from Palm Beach just to pick me up. He asked me what I do for a living, and when I told him I work at Food &amp; Wine, he seemed confused—he said he's usually only assigned to drive moguls and politicians because he has the highest level of security clearance, because he worked for Interpol for nearly 20 years.<br /><br />We had a pretty normal conversation after that, at least for the next 20 minutes. We talked about restaurants and travel—Italy, China, Canada—and he told me some great stories from when he worked in government, how he used to travel ahead on security detail and how, in training, they'd be given specific instructions on how to speak, behave, and even order food in cities around the world.<br /><br />And then, all of a sudden, he started to tell me about myself. He sort of glanced at me in the rear view mirror and casually said, "See, I'm just doing this police thing on you." Profiling, I guess? He instantly knew that I'm single, don't have kids, travel a lot, and don't keep a lot of close relationships. It was... weird. But also not weird at the same time, because it was all true. He told me long stories about how he spent decades traveling for work and how it impacted him and his family. As we pulled up to the hotel, I gave him the bottle of Veuve I'd gotten on board the cruise ship. And when he got my suitcase out of the trunk of the car, he hugged me and looked me in the eye. And the last thing he said to me was: "Don't be afraid of love."Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15381877.post-16881155792839896772018-11-26T23:32:00.001-05:002018-11-26T23:32:32.693-05:00I'm a fan of weeknighting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kXB0caYmzTk/W_zIM0xV2FI/AAAAAAAB_Ls/bfZM05XrkV4A-2t6QH2m8iFoZlrh8hu9QCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20181126_191359.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kXB0caYmzTk/W_zIM0xV2FI/AAAAAAAB_Ls/bfZM05XrkV4A-2t6QH2m8iFoZlrh8hu9QCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_20181126_191359.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />I love early 6 p.m. Monday night dinners out with old friends—it's perfect: the no-pressure reservation, the uncrowded dining room, the weeknight-ness of the entire adventure. Sharon and I have been friends since the print / newspaper days—and tonight we met at Ilili and ordered duck shawarma, kofta, dandelion, hummus, and fattoush (no romaine, though!). Then we went to 7-Eleven to buy lottery tickets because Susan Miller says it's the luckiest day of the year.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15381877.post-84451641034252281552018-11-25T20:57:00.000-05:002018-11-25T20:59:21.670-05:005 Best Sensitive-Oily-Aging Skincare Products I Swear ByI have slightly sensitive dry, aging skin that gets oily and shiny throughout the day in the T-zone. I'm prone to small but long-lasting breakouts around the sides of my nose and also the area between the corners of my mouth and my jawline. I deal with seasonal redness and flakiness around my cheeks and nostrils. My skin also <i>eats</i>&nbsp;makeup—eye makeup disappears throughout the day and I have medium-large pores around the center of my face. It's taken a <i>lot</i> of experimentation and trying new products over the years, but this winter is the happiest I've ever been with my skincare and makeup routine in decades. <i>Decades!</i>&nbsp;Here's are the exact skincare and makeup products I've been obsessed with and have repeatedly purchased for my sensitive combination aging skin:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7g9Wv9KmEXM/W_tRuaIISFI/AAAAAAAB_IQ/jfQdtqTUxnoaZjF-maD_BMdI5lMdH8EggCLcBGAs/s1600/Default-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7g9Wv9KmEXM/W_tRuaIISFI/AAAAAAAB_IQ/jfQdtqTUxnoaZjF-maD_BMdI5lMdH8EggCLcBGAs/s640/Default-3.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><b><a href="https://www.glossier.com/products/milky-jelly-cleanser">Glossier Milk Jelly Cleanser</a>: </b>It's a little like Cetaphil, but way better, and rose-scented. I'd guesstimate I've purchased upwards of 30 of these over the years—so many that the Glossier consumer marketing team reached out to me and asked if I'd give them feedback on the product... you know, since I've <i>used so much of it</i>. Milky Jelly Cleanser is super-gentle and super-effective, it removes all my makeup, helps keep any oiliness in check without stripping the skin, never leaves me feeling irritated, and I've noticed a significant drop in rash / eczema / breakouts since I've started using it. Over the past few years, I have lapsed and tried other hyped cleansing products, but I always regret it and repent by ordering more Milky Jelly Cleanser. My only feedback to Team Glossier would be: I need this in both a TSA-friendly travel size as well as a mega-giant jumbo bottle size for home.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aEn76hWGBfo/W_tRhqqH90I/AAAAAAAB_II/peGKoqQWgdMxlpbzKx6JnTC2ZO_YOEpSgCLcBGAs/s1600/s1868256-main-zoom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aEn76hWGBfo/W_tRhqqH90I/AAAAAAAB_II/peGKoqQWgdMxlpbzKx6JnTC2ZO_YOEpSgCLcBGAs/s640/s1868256-main-zoom.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><b><a href="https://www.itcosmetics.com/confidence-collection/confidence-in-a-cream/ITC_611.html">It Cosmetics Confidence in a Cream</a>:</b> I started using Confidence in a Cream because I had been using Charlotte Tilbury's Magic Cream for a while and was looking for a less expensive alternative. Now I <i>love</i> Confidence in a Cream and I don't think I'd go back—even if I won the lottery or something. I use Confidence in a Cream as a day cream—it's great under makeup and I don't need a primer on top of it—it's light but rich enough to last all day. I've probably gone through a dozen jars of this stuff and tbh what I like most about it is that it's uncomplicated, doesn't irritate my skin, looks smooth and great under foundation, and I feel like, over time, very gradually, it's improved the appearance of my skin—i.e. I definitely notice a difference when I stop using it and think I want to experiment with something new.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AsFb60e7MBs/W_tRIkNcjtI/AAAAAAAB_H8/7q2d-3tzBB8VMzx57HVOY-jpnCz7f7fSQCLcBGAs/s1600/ab_peel_ug_pckt_30treat_a_t_s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AsFb60e7MBs/W_tRIkNcjtI/AAAAAAAB_H8/7q2d-3tzBB8VMzx57HVOY-jpnCz7f7fSQCLcBGAs/s640/ab_peel_ug_pckt_30treat_a_t_s.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><b><a href="https://www.sephora.com/product/alpha-beta-ultra-gentle-daily-peel-sensitive-skin-P398761">Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Ultra Gentle Daily Peel for Sensitive Skin</a></b>: Ask any of my friends or relatives— I've been evangelizing the Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta peels for <i>years</i>. But instead of daily (because I have this irrational fear of my skin becoming dependent on acids), I use them once or twice a week to exfoliate, clean up and tighten my pores, and, subsequently, help my other skincare work / absorb better. The pads are especially useful for travel—they're individually packed and are the best thing to use as soon as you hop off a long flight and check into a hotel—very refreshing.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://shapehouse.com/">Sweat sessions at Shape House</a>:</b> OK, Shape House is not technically a beauty product—it's a 55-minute infrared wrap joint that just landed in New York City from Los Angeles earlier this year—and I'm obsessed. Far Infrared treatments are clinically proven to have all sorts of positive health benefits—and while, sure, it would be nice to lose weight from all these sweat sessions I've been booking this fall and winter, if that happens it will come with time. For me, the most immediate result of sweat sessions at Shape House is that my skin has been looking <i>great</i>. I think it's probably the result of just, you know, a very straightforward correlation of sweating things out of my pores on a regular basis, which thereby pushes bad gunk out of my pores. Other side effects of sweating at Shape House: I feel deeply relaxed and somehow simultaneously energized after each session and it's so nice to lie perfectly still for an hour several times a week tucked into a toasty blanket while it's blustery and cold outside.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6YjMcy1_gvY/W_tQlOCMKyI/AAAAAAAB_H0/jSfADJWq75sSzM3fkzY8vaVEgY20AwfSgCLcBGAs/s1600/it-cosmetics-cc-illumination-medium-2000x2000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="565" data-original-width="565" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6YjMcy1_gvY/W_tQlOCMKyI/AAAAAAAB_H0/jSfADJWq75sSzM3fkzY8vaVEgY20AwfSgCLcBGAs/s640/it-cosmetics-cc-illumination-medium-2000x2000.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b><a href="https://www.itcosmetics.com/award-winners/your-skin-but-better-cc-illumination-with-spf-50/ITC_0030.html">It Cosmetics CC+ Illumination with SPF 50+</a>:</b> I'd been using the normal non-illuminating version of this CC cream / foundation for a year before I mustered up the courage to try the illuminating version—I was worried it would make me look shiny, sweaty, or sparkly. But then I watched a Pixiwoo beauty tutorial where they used it and it looked so good, I had to try it—and the rest is history, I've never looked back. I love that this foundation looks like skin, has good coverage but is also sheer-ish. It stays all day, is illuminating, so I don't feel like I get a gray cast from it (which sometimes happens to me with matte-r foundations), and it photographs and videos beautifully. I set it with a translucent powder from Rimmel (I was using Charlotte Tilbury powder, which I love, but honestly it's $45 and that's a <i>lot</i> for a tiny pan of pressed powder) and then dust a little MAC Studio Fix on top as well. I also have this feeling that the CC+ cream makes me look... younger?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15381877.post-16519796699773738852018-11-25T00:03:00.000-05:002018-11-25T00:03:54.246-05:00The 6 Best Hotels I Stayed in This YearThere's nothing I love more than the feeling of freedom that comes along with arriving solo at an airport in a foreign country. Travel is one of my greatest loves—maybe it's because I grew up in New York, and as much as this city has to offer, it can also feel stifling and claustrophobic (like, I never get to see the sky) after too many weeks on the ground—and this year I was lucky enough to do my fair share of country-hopping, mostly for work, but oftentimes with a few extra days tacked on pre- and post- for personal exploration. Here are the 6 best hotels I got to stay in this year—they're all fantastic and memorable for different reasons.<br /><br /><b><a href="https://waldorfastoria3.hilton.com/en/hotels/china/waldorf-astoria-beijing-BJSWAWA/index.html">Waldorf Astoria Beijing</a>: </b>The perfect city-center location for a long shopping or sightseeing weekend in town, the Waldorf Astoria is one of the most beautiful city hotels in Beijing—and, for sure, one of the most luxurious. I used my Hilton status to upgrade to a suite and it was so nice, I just about wanted to move in. The food and spa in the hotel are also spectacular—make sure to grab a casual lunch in Peacock Alley, and breakfast in the main restaurant shouldn't be missed.<br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UIJ9yZzzYPI" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><b><a href="https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/china/grand-hyatt-xian/xiygh">The Grand Hyatt Xi'an</a></b>: Situated in the high-tech district in Xi'an, this new-in-2018 high-rise luxury property-meets-convention-center is a nature-design-inspired breath of fresh air—and a sea of calm in the middle of an ultra-modern city. The restaurants are all uniquely themed and excellent—especially the pan-Asian barbecue restaurant Maple House, a must-visit destination for a long, leisurely dinner.<br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0C-cVMduLWI" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><b><a href="https://slshotels.com/bahamar/">SLS Baha Mar</a></b>: I visited the SLS in Baha Mar when it first opened—and I still tell people, today, how incredible the rooms and the property are. Each hotel in the Baha Mar collection has its own unique vibe and characteristics, so I'd recommend checking them all out before you decide which one suits your personality and travel needs best. I loved the quiet and low-key luxury of the SLS.<br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/D9nSftjSUCA" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><b><a href="https://www.jwmarriottaustin.com/">JW Marriott Austin</a>:</b> I've been to SXSW Interactive several times as a speaker and mentor, and the JW Marriott is, hands-down my Austin hotel favorite (I've also stayed at two other properties in town and they're great—but the JW is one of the only hotels in the city center that doesn't have all the roads around it shut down during the festival—this is key for getting in and out of town to and from the airport as well as to further-afield restaurant reservations). To me, the JW brand is the quintessential luxury business traveler hotel—great executive lounges, polished-but-not-too-familiar service, fancy-but-not-too-fancy everything, good spas, good dining options. I've stayed at a few around the country / the world and it's a brand I feel like I can always trust.<br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9NaXS62y-Aw" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><b><a href="https://www.thetemplehousehotel.com/en/default">The Temple House Chengdu</a>:</b> To me, the Temple House in Chengdu is the <i>only</i> place to stay in Chengdu—the location, smack dab in the center of the city in a semi-tranquil oasis of lowrises and attached to some of the best shopping and dining areas in town, is unbeatable. The rooms are also ultra-chic, quiet, and beautiful, and the in-house restaurant and facilities (that swimming pool!) are excellent. The staff are also some of the best in the business and you'll want to be best friends with all of them.<br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nZvmBSyvYmI" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.thesurfridermalibu.com/">Surfrider Malibu</a>:</b> I stayed at the Surfrider Malibu back before it was even the Surfrider Malibu—years ago, it was a small apartment complex and I used to rent a place on Airbnb from a surfer who kept a studio there. Since its transformation into a boutique hotel, it's my go-to spot in L.A. (besides Chateau Marmont, which is just the hands-down&nbsp;<i>ultimate</i> in-town hotel). For a non-driver, the Surfrider's location right across the street from the Malibu Pier and just a 10-minute walk from Malibu Country Mart can't be beat. It's also next door to Casa Escobar, a really great Mexican restaurant where I happily eat 30 percent of all my meals when I'm in the neighborhood, and the Malibu outpost of Aviator Nation, my favorite sweatpants store on Earth. Make sure to check out the private guests-only bar-restaurant on the roof deck of the Surfrider—great food, great views.<br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bbPB32sbOKg" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15381877.post-11351929856478546002018-11-23T22:55:00.001-05:002018-11-23T22:57:16.601-05:00Things I've accomplishedI've officially been on staycation for five days now and I've accomplished... not that much? I <i>have</i>&nbsp;managed to spend some quality catch-up time with friends, though, so that's something. And I got my brother to help me bring a bunch of stuff down to Goodwill this afternoon—he spent the whole time lecturing me about how I should just find someone to sell my clothes online for me, instead, but really I'd much prefer the tax write-off.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2Ojl7PSd8L4/W_jMEbzeKSI/AAAAAAAB_Go/GWyqPwenxt0_9Xk005_Nkx1-uAVIMj3rwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_4100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1326" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2Ojl7PSd8L4/W_jMEbzeKSI/AAAAAAAB_Go/GWyqPwenxt0_9Xk005_Nkx1-uAVIMj3rwCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_4100.JPG" width="530" /></a></div><br />Today (Black Friday) I <a href="https://www.foodandwine.com/lifestyle/pixel-3-night-sight-dark-restaurant-photos">wrote a story</a>, went out for sushi at Sugarfish, then a coffee at Think, and then a chair massage at the spa down the street.<br /><br />Here's what I bought online this week:<br /><br /><ul><li>Simone Rocha cardigan (versatile)</li><li>Comme des Garcons dress (not on sale)</li><li>L.L. Bean fleece vest (not on sale)</li><li>Cath Kidston alpaca print dress, for work (alpacas!)</li></ul><br />Ended the day sharing a bottle of 2017 Raats Chenin Blanc (a gift from <a href="https://www.foodandwine.com/wine-regions/best-south-african-wine">Luvo Ntezo</a>) with my brother and my sister-in-law.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15381877.post-76025837337060798302018-11-19T11:02:00.003-05:002018-11-19T11:03:05.498-05:00Staycation To-Do ListCurrently on my first staycation in... years? I have three days off, then Thanksgiving with the family, then one day off, then the weekend. So many days, lots of things I'm hoping to get to that I don't usually have time for, including but not limited to:<br /><ol><li>Actually going to the gym</li><li>Cleaning my apartment and hauling a huge clothing drop-off to Housing Works</li><li>Recycling a bunch of electronics</li><li>Figuring out my shoe storage situation</li><li>Visiting my friend Rachel's new-ish shop <a href="https://www.thegoodsmart.com/">The Goods Mart</a> for the first time</li><li>Having lunch with freelance friends</li><li>Going for infrared wraps as often as possible</li><li>Making a YouTube video of something</li><li>Try to launch something tiny on Shopify, just to see how the platform works</li><li>Catching up on all the writing I need to do that I can't get done in the office</li><li>Drinking coffees in coffee shops</li></ol>I did have momentary cabin fever panic over the weekend and tried to book a weekend trip up to New Hampshire, but with it being one of the busiest travel weekends in the calendar year, no go. It's all for the better, I think, staying in town over the four-day weekend. New York is glorious in the winter when it's quiet.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15381877.post-22364846019690338652018-11-05T23:22:00.000-05:002018-11-06T22:07:45.672-05:00The 5 Best Things I Bought in 2018. So Far.These are the 5 best new-to-me things I bought in 2018. So far. That I can think of just sitting here at my desk at 11 p.m. on a Monday. That said, there are still a few weeks left to the year and I wouldn't put it past myself to get my hands on that <a href="https://us.louisvuitton.com/eng-us/products/speedy-30-bandouliere-nvprod1120032v">cat bag</a>.<br /><br />1. <b>Prada nylon backpack: </b>Bought sometime over the summer so I could wear it walking to work every morning. And then it was, like, 100,000 degrees and humid every single day. I've still gotten plenty of use out of it, though. It's my go-to daily carry bag and super-convenient for travel, sightseeing, and shopping.<br /><br /><i><a href="https://www.prada.com/us/en/women/bags/backpacks/products.fabric_backpack.1BZ811_V44_F0002_V_OOO.html">Fabric backpack</a>, available at Prada.com</i><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yRo5z245Fok/W-EPXfNpcjI/AAAAAAAB-To/Hmv3wB3LqX0e3A635W7gjSYTifspHz0CgCLcBGAs/s1600/prada-backpack.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yRo5z245Fok/W-EPXfNpcjI/AAAAAAAB-To/Hmv3wB3LqX0e3A635W7gjSYTifspHz0CgCLcBGAs/s640/prada-backpack.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />2. <b>A $319 computer:</b>&nbsp;I was thrilled in 2017 when I got my hands on a brand new Macbook Pro. So thrilled that I ordered a souped-up turbo version that cost more than $3,000. Fast forward just one year later and after spilling a <i>tiny</i>&nbsp;amount of water on the keyboard... RIP Macbook Pro. I've been using an older Macbook Air ever since, but recently went looking for a better keyboard experience (Mac hadn't released any new laptops yet), so I picked up a $319 machine from Lenovo—a Chromebook specially designed for elementary school children; it has a 360-degree rotating tablet touchscreen <i>and</i> a waterproof keyboard. Now I can snack and drink near my laptop as much as I want, without fear. Best $319 I've ever spent.<br /><br /><i><a href="https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/lenovo/lenovo-n-series/300e/p/88EL10S1024?gclid=Cj0KCQiA8f_eBRDcARIsAEKwRGcjh5KbnZxlnSzoWdpiavFuoG0JCMl8-Qelk7XzKDVRbvi5HNuCQ_saAgl5EALw_wcB&amp;cid=us:sem|se|google|419805810390|Lenovo_300e|IIP_NX_Lenovo_N+Series|1071161166&amp;s_kwcid=AL!4030!3!308942944744!e!!g!!lenovo%20300e&amp;kw=lenovo%20300e&amp;adid=308942944744&amp;addisttype=g&amp;ef_id=Cj0KCQiA8f_eBRDcARIsAEKwRGcjh5KbnZxlnSzoWdpiavFuoG0JCMl8-Qelk7XzKDVRbvi5HNuCQ_saAgl5EALw_wcB:G:s&amp;s_kwcid=AL!4030!3!308942944744!e!!g!!lenovo%20300e">Lenovo 300e</a>, available at Lenovo.com</i><br /><i><br /></i> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kp8VWHox3kQ/W-EQxTZMNUI/AAAAAAAB-T0/asp2jmY_4EwlEyH_4YzG1lai-weV1uo6wCLcBGAs/s1600/lenovo-laptop-300e-windows-gallery-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="1060" height="358" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kp8VWHox3kQ/W-EQxTZMNUI/AAAAAAAB-T0/asp2jmY_4EwlEyH_4YzG1lai-weV1uo6wCLcBGAs/s640/lenovo-laptop-300e-windows-gallery-01.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>3. <b>This 64 oz. water bottle from S'well: </b>OK, I have, like, 100 S'well bottles that I've gotten for free in gift bags, as PR presents, and as random gifts from other humans—and even though I love how easy they are to clean and how cool they keep drinks all day, they are <i>so</i> heavy, so I never really carry them around. All that backstory definitely makes the next statement seem like nonsense, but I love the 64 oz. S'well bottle. It's like the size of a gallon milk jug, but it's made of dense, multi-walled stainless steel. It's crazy heavy and keeps water cold all day. I never take it anywhere, it just sits on my desk at home. It makes me feel virtuous everyone I need to refill it. It helps me drink more water.<br /><br /><i><a href="https://amzn.to/2ySQjfb">S'well 64 oz. bottle</a>, available at Amazon.com</i><br /><i><br /></i> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iDVyyPq8V7Y/W-ESUudxCDI/AAAAAAAB-UA/onfFw7SAaWwiTAVW4lOtn-lP0HzkqUAfQCLcBGAs/s1600/swell-bottle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="686" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iDVyyPq8V7Y/W-ESUudxCDI/AAAAAAAB-UA/onfFw7SAaWwiTAVW4lOtn-lP0HzkqUAfQCLcBGAs/s640/swell-bottle.jpg" width="292" /></a></div>4. <b>Artis Elite Mirror Palm Brush Mini</b>: If you travel a lot and need makeup brushes to, well, apply your makeup in the mornings (people who can apply makeup with their hands or those tiny included applicators are magical unicorns), buying great travel brushes will completely upgrade your luggage situation. My favorite brushes come from Artis (my favorite drugstore brushes come from Real Techniques) and recently I bought a teeny tiny version of my favorite-favorite Artis Palm brush, and now all I use, even when I'm home, is the tiny Palm. <br /><br /><i><a href="https://www.sephora.com/product/elite-mirror-palm-brush-mini-P430806?icid2=skugrid:p430806:product">Elite MIrror Palm Brush Mini</a>, available at Sephora.com</i><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bqNUxAo5M2Q/W-ETmqxClwI/AAAAAAAB-UI/LDv6p1k61W8aROoyza3-OHUM8CuhQqRYwCLcBGAs/s1600/s2077790-main-zoom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bqNUxAo5M2Q/W-ETmqxClwI/AAAAAAAB-UI/LDv6p1k61W8aROoyza3-OHUM8CuhQqRYwCLcBGAs/s400/s2077790-main-zoom.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>5. <b>This ridiculous swimsuit: </b>I fell in love with this swimsuit at first sight. I remember exactly where I was, I was sitting on my terrace at the Surfrider Malibu looking at Surfrider tagged Instagram posts when I saw it—and ordered it immediately. I didn't debut it til Memorial Day, in Turks &amp; Caicos while on vacation with some friends. The truth is I've never been super-confident about going out in public in swimwear, but there's something so unapologetic about this super-bold Barbie-inspired print. I feel wrapped in confidence when I'm wearing it.<br /><br /><i><a href="https://www.showmeyourmumu.com/shop/swim/pipeline-zip-one-piece-beverly-barbie">Pipeline zip one-piece</a>, available at ShowMeYourMumu.com</i><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JlOuUMbMi_M/W-EV1J26Y0I/AAAAAAAB-UU/CPDTuQ-H0AQE1l90sL2VrTbQriky-_8bACLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot%2B2018-11-05%2Bat%2B23.12.11.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="397" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JlOuUMbMi_M/W-EV1J26Y0I/AAAAAAAB-UU/CPDTuQ-H0AQE1l90sL2VrTbQriky-_8bACLcBGAs/s640/Screenshot%2B2018-11-05%2Bat%2B23.12.11.png" width="416" /></a></div><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15381877.post-37413729813462772422018-11-04T15:13:00.001-05:002018-11-04T15:13:41.135-05:004 Days in Beijing<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UIJ9yZzzYPI" width="560"></iframe><br /><br />Two days exploring the Wangjing neighborhood in Beijing, a morning trip to the Great Wall of China, and a weekend at the Waldorf Astoria (stocking up on snacks!)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15381877.post-22463548371571687542018-10-29T22:59:00.002-04:002018-10-29T22:59:23.024-04:00My Xi'an Trip<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0C-cVMduLWI" width="560"></iframe><br /><br />Street food (I went on two <a href="http://lostplate.com/">Lost Plate</a> tours), a trip to the Shaanxi Museum, and a visit to the Terracotta Warriors (must read up on that emperor). Stayed at the Hilton Xi'an and the Grand Hyatt Xi'an.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15381877.post-21715228432330986932018-10-27T05:16:00.001-04:002018-10-27T05:16:20.520-04:00City break<div style="color: #454545; font-family: &quot;.SF UI Text&quot;; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: &quot;.SFUIText&quot;; font-size: 17pt;">I’m holed up in the Waldorf Astoria Beijing for the weekend, which is probably one of the all-time best places to be holed up doing nothing, thanks to the magic of Hilton Honors Gold Status and an upgrade to a king suite. To be fair, I’ve also had a pretty fantastic week—part work, spending time with the global Hyatt team checking out two of their newest properties, one in Xi’an, the other in the Wangjing neighborhood in Beijing. Both hotels are gorgeous, pristine, and chock full of great amenities. But there’s nothing quite like coming off a week of programming and meetings, straight into a be-feather-bedded king overlooking a row of hutong houses and a courtyard. Oh, and there’s a marble wet room in my bathroom. I am so happy right now.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15381877.post-40466990621583098092018-09-04T07:57:00.004-04:002018-09-04T08:02:45.329-04:00Solo Traveler Orlando Vacation Redux<center><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6s7Yx8kx0TM" width="560"></iframe></center><br />A few weeks ago, in a midnight bout of work-related-anxiety insomnia, I booked myself a a last-minute trip to Orlando for Labor Day weekend—I'd always wanted to go to Universal Studios (it opened in 1990, and the last time I went to Orlando was as a kid in the late-80s) and also wanted to revisit the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. I wound up staying at a Universal Orlando resort (the Aventura Hotel, which just opened August 16) and splitting my theme park days half-half—Magic Kingdom, Universal Studios, Epcot, Universal's Islands of Adventure. I also made some vlogs about two of those days (embedded here), so instead of rehashing them in any sort of detailed way, here are some key learnings / strong opinions I have about visiting these theme parks, especially if you're a solo traveler.<br /><br /><br /><center><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9g3-EaX7inQ" width="560"></iframe></center><br />— The Magic Kingdom is a massive undertaking—and where I noticed the most child meltdowns during the day. The lines are long, there's a <i>lot</i>&nbsp;of walking involved, and the rides are hit-or-miss in terms of ROI (return on investment, in this case time spent waiting on line). Be prepared to space out your day and take plenty of breaks. Having a breakfast and/or lunch reservation helps structure your loop around the park. I grabbed a last-minute lunch spot at the Be Our Guest restaurant, which lets you inside the Beast's Castle. The food was fine—not good, not bad, fine. And prices throughout the park are on par with prices you'd see on a NYC diner menu, so not expensive, but also not cheap.<br /><br />— Fast Pass: I booked my vacation too late to score any of the harder-to-get fast passes, but my priority in visiting Disney properties wasn't to go on rides—I was more interested in just walking around, eating cute snacks, shopping, and checking out any newly-developed themed corners of the parks. If you're traveling with young children, I'm pretty sure you'll <i>need</i>&nbsp;to employ some serious Fast Pass strategy, in order to avoid killing each other.<br /><br />— Wear socks. I read so many blog posts and articles about the best shoes to wear while walking the 10+ miles you'll be covering each day at any Orlando theme parks, and so many of them recommend Tevas and flip flops and sports sandals. Fine, OK, sure I guess I could see how that would work, because of the handful of water rides here and there that might get your feet wet—but I weighed the options and I'd rather bring a pair of sandals / Tevas in my backpack to change into just in case I went on a water ride instead of getting painful blisters from wearing shoes without socks all day long. My recommendation is to choose a pair of soft sneakers without any abrasive seams—ideal: any of the sneakers from <a href="https://www.nike.com/us/en_us/c/innovation/flyknit">Nike's Flyknit</a> range—and wear them with socks (I prefer <a href="https://bombas.com/">Bombas</a>).<br /><br />— Wherever you stay, take advantage of early park entry. I went to parks on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday over a holiday long weekend. It doesn't matter which day of the week you go—these parks are <i>packed</i>&nbsp;(I'm from NYC, I know <i>packed</i>). You'll get so much done during the pre-admission hour—at Universal Studios it makes all the difference in the world when it comes to exploring the Wizarding World of Harry Potter—I rode the Gringott's ride twice in a row because the lines were so short in the morning! At Disney World, I didn't have early park entry (because I was staying at a Universal property), but even just making sure to get there as the park was opening made a huge difference in getting to popular rides early.<br /><br />— Don't worry about backtracking. I'm a huge fan of workflow and efficiency, but threw all that out the window when I was in Orlando, especially at the Disney properties. At Epcot, for example, I got there just as the park was opening and triaged Frozen Ever After, Soarin' Around the World, and Test Track all within the first 90 minutes of arriving. It was a lot of dashing back and forth to different corners of the theme park, but once I got to ride those, I felt like I had the rest of the day free to explore whatever I wanted at Epcot with zero pressure.<br /><br />— Get all your souvenirs delivered. Every park offers the free option to have the souvenirs you buy throughout the day delivered to the front gate for pickup on your way out—and if you stay at a Disney resort or a Universal resort, you can have theme park deliver your shopping directly to your hotel.<br /><br />— Cool down spots. It was a sweltering (but typical, I guess) 90 degrees and humid all four days I was out and about at theme parks in Orlando—even in the mornings!—so I figured out pretty quickly that there are some important cool-down spots that are easy-ish to access when you need time to just decompress, sit down, soak in the air conditioning, and not have to buy a meal or a drink (or wait on line). My favorite spot that combines limitless cool-downing and people watching: Knockturn Alley in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter—that dark side street where Borgin and Burkes is. It's ultra-air-conditioned, pretty dark (no sun!), and has benches where you can sit with a bottle of water for as long as you like.<br /><br />— Opinion: Epcot needs a revamp. I found Epcot to be the most challenging theme park I visited over the long weekend—it was blistering hot, there wasn't a lot of shade or air conditioning to duck into while I was making my way around to visit the different countries, and the rides were just... OK. Frozen Ever After might be fun for super-fans of <i>Frozen</i>, but there wasn't anything about it that felt high-touch or surprising / delightful. It felt like they needed a Frozen ride, so they made a Frozen ride. At Epcot I was also surprised at how outdated some of the points of view were on representing different cultures in this setting—I found the "Africa" corner of the park to be especially problematic (1. Africa is not a country and 2. Presenting an entire continent as a monolithic grab-bag of kitsch "tribal"-themed souvenirs is... <i>a really old cop-out of an idea that needs to be overhauled ASAP.</i>).<br /><br /><b>Last takeaway thoughts on solo travel to Orlando:</b><br /><br />— Theme parks are a great solo trip option because you get to do whatever you want and you get to cut down on your line time by choosing Single Rider lines.<br />— Staying at a Disney property or a Universal property will make your daily logistics much easier.<br />— Drink at least twice as much water as you usually drink—you'll dehydrate faster than you think.<br />— A larger-than-average belt bag can hold most of what you need—<i>not</i>&nbsp;carrying a backpack will keep you way less sweaty and make it easier to go on some rides.<br />— After going on a bunch of Hogwarts rides, I feel like being a student there would be really stressful. There are a <i>lot</i>&nbsp;of scary creatures and bad guys constantly trying to kill you—how do these kids ever get any studying done!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15381877.post-447762636833822352018-08-14T22:29:00.001-04:002018-08-14T22:29:25.924-04:00The YouTube channels I watch nearly every day<b>Always: </b>These are the YouTube channels I'll watch every single time a new video pops up. I prioritize these videos in my subscription feed over all the others, usually because I find the content either super-inspirational or informative. In some cases, it's because I've been watching these YouTubers for a while and I think they're cool and interesting people doing cool and interesting things.<br /><br /><b>Casey Neistat</b><br /><br /><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/84WIaK3bl_s" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><b>Colleen Ballinger + Colleen Vlogs + Miranda Sings</b><br /><br /><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lxGzTehTSPw" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><b>Koro DeSoto</b><br /><br /><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JJMji31v_lM" width="560"></iframe><br /><br />Also Gus Gus, their cat.<br /><br /><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YZfnzOvWpUs" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><b>Jenna Marbles</b><br /><br /><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y1QOAd6o0C0" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><b>David Dobrik:</b><br /><br /><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YUmZOGqR47s" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><b>Ryan Higa</b><br /><br /><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CGNi4Ca7XVU" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><b>Nikki Blackketter</b><br /><br /><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AIwEdv_LEAA" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><b>Pixiwoo</b><br /><br /><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4sBdtEaxoLA" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><b>Sometimes:</b> I also really like videos by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZC45sBWNdkqSQ9Bwtt5lfA">Anna Akana</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-lHJZR3Gqxm24_Vd_AJ5Yw">PewDiePie</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWRV5AVOlKJR1Flvgt310Cw">Zoella</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnEn0EUV13IR-_TK7fiIp3g">Alfie Deyes</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuySkUHjdgugMw61waqFsRg">Taylor R.</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7aE5B-ZFEAoumyj6FaJ7lg">Bradley Martyn</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAaUVu8vYss8zCaC0WuA9jA">Caspar</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKMugoa0uHpjUuq14yOpagw">Laura Lee</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbO9bltbkYwa56nZFQx6XJg">Manny Mua</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNdqe5zJ6k-i7XKoYWA4Z2g">Alex Wassabi</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15381877.post-16035463615407435672018-08-12T10:54:00.000-04:002018-08-12T10:54:02.753-04:00New week's resolutions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jbAn2r42NUE/W3BDz6GSoZI/AAAAAAABzbo/JYZ2dS84rpMH8IG2L5xS_8A_yip5qKy0wCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_9743.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="483" data-original-width="700" height="440" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jbAn2r42NUE/W3BDz6GSoZI/AAAAAAABzbo/JYZ2dS84rpMH8IG2L5xS_8A_yip5qKy0wCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_9743.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />I think a lot about what it would be like if I were my vacation self at home—curious, un-jaded, high-energy, in an exploratory mood. I think it's hard when you live in the place where you grew up—even if it <i>is</i>&nbsp;New York City, things just feel... familiar, easy, and comfortable. The other day I was explaining to a friend that one of the reasons I love/need to travel is because, at home, my identity is so completely wrapped up in my career and New York so intrinsically part of my DNA that I don't feel like I have a boundary, that my lines are blurred. It takes going away and putting myself in an unfamiliar context for me to find my borders, to define where my sense of self begins and ends.<br /><br /><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_Q4X92Fjb18" width="560"></iframe><br /><br />Over the past few weeks I've been making an effort to do different things while home in New York—not just going through the motions of routine and fulfilling obligations on my daily to-do checklists. I've been trying to schedule in weekly shows—so far I've been to the Erasure show at the Beacon a few weeks ago, then I went to see <i>My Fair Lady</i>&nbsp;at Lincoln Center, and the week after I went to see my 'lil sib' from high school in <i>Aladdin</i>&nbsp;on Broadway—and movies (I went to see <i>Christopher Robin</i>&nbsp;two weeks ago; last week I scored a last-minute ticket to a screening of <i>Crazy Rich Asians</i>, which was <i>amazing</i>). I've also been trying out some new-to-me self-care spa treatments—I've been going for a monthly Korean body scrub, the one where the entire outside layer of your body peels off in clumpy grey rolls of dead skin (it's a slow, superficial form of catharsis), and have been scheduling in time for a weekly-ish infrared sweat session at Shape House, which is my favorite no-effort-feel-like-a-million-bucks way to spend money right now.<br /><br />But it's not just about doing activities, I think. I feel, like a lot of women I know, especially around the same age, the essential difference between vacation me and home me is that home me beats myself up a lot—for not getting enough done, for not meeting expectations, for not losing weight, for wasting time, for eating this and not eating that, for not reading enough and spending too much time watching YouTube. Vacation me is kinder to myself. Have you ever noticed that it's really hard to relax on vacation? I have to spend a solid three or four days conscientiously talking myself into vacation mode, like giving a child permission: Don't check your email. You don't have to make a schedule for tomorrow. You can play it by ear. Yes, you have time to take a walk along the beach. You don't have to eat in a specific half-hour window because you <i>will</i> have free time later on. Wear what you want. Don't set an alarm.<br /><br />I think I need to try to do this in my real non-vacation life too: Conscientiously be gentler with myself. So that's my new week's resolution—to work hard, but for a reasonable number of hours each week; read books if I want or watch YouTube videos if I want; take that 15 minutes to make a cup of tea and sitting down at my desk to write something <i>for myself</i>, instead of grabbing coffee on the go; wear that brighter shade of lipstick; take time out to bake a cake.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15381877.post-57574652142601450422018-08-11T13:07:00.004-04:002018-08-11T13:07:50.021-04:00Newish coffee ritual<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MmlNtbjmCVc/W28X3n2OaNI/AAAAAAABzZY/S7cZMvNqsXAOpxnY_8lOcW3nevsUeDqYACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_3916.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MmlNtbjmCVc/W28X3n2OaNI/AAAAAAABzZY/S7cZMvNqsXAOpxnY_8lOcW3nevsUeDqYACLcBGAs/s640/IMG_3916.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />From 2008 to 2013, I quit coffee. Actually I quit three specific things during those five years: drinking, coffee, and Diet Coke. I think I'd started as a new year's resolution in 2008, did it for a month, and was like: Oh wait, this is pretty easy, I'll just keep going. To be honest, I don't think it did me any good; I gained a <i>ton</i>&nbsp;of weight during those years (drinking calories and eating calories are <i>not</i> the same thing) and my social life suffered (it's really not un-awkward to have a social life in New York if you don't drink alcohol, coffee, or Diet Coke; also I got bored of explaining abstention to people when there wasn't a reason). Anyway, I started drinking alcohol and coffee again in 2013, just out of the blue—and I think, in retrospect, the best thing about taking all those years off caffeine and booze is that I now have much lower tolerance for both, so I have sort of successfully achieved moderation in these two consumption categories in middle age.<br /><br />For a few years, I've been drinking Illy coffee made in a Bialetti, but in the past six months, I've been experimenting with different instant coffees that have <i>stuff </i>&nbsp;(mushrooms, mostly) in it. It's apparently good for the brain and good for stress levels and health. See above reference to middle age.<br /><br />Here's what I've been liking a lot:<br /><br />1. <a href="https://us.foursigmatic.com/collections/mushroom-coffee/products/mushroom-coffee-with-lions-mane-chaga">Four Sigmatic "Create" with Lion's Mane and Chaga</a>: This used to be called something different, I think "Think," because the balance of Lion's Mane and Chaga helped to both stave off caffeine jitters <i>and </i>helped focus throughout the day. I first read about this on <a href="https://tim.blog/2016/09/06/my-favorite-smart-drugs/">Tim Ferriss' blog</a>—he's right, it's powerful stuff. I try to drink this most work mornings—especially when I know I have a big meetings or brainstorming day ahead—and I try to not drink this on weekends, to give my brain a rest.<br /><br />2. <a href="https://us.foursigmatic.com/collections/mushroom-coffee/products/mushroom-coffee">Four Sigmatic "Achieve" with Cordyceps and Chaga</a>: This used to be called "Awake" and I drink this on days when I know I have to be alert, but maybe don't need the added focus boost of "Think." Cordyceps is a pretty popular ingredient in Chinese cooking, and apparently is also helpful in managing energy levels. I find that when I drink this in the morning, I don't get the 3 p.m. sleepies as much. I prefer the taste of the "Create" coffee packets, though, so I tend to stick with those.<br /><br />3. <a href="https://us.foursigmatic.com/collections/mushroom-coffee/products/adaptogen-coffee">Four Sigmatic "Hack Stress" Adaptogen Coffee with Tulsi and Astragalus</a>: If you know me irl you know that sometimes work can <i>really</i>&nbsp;stress me out. Recently I ordered a box of this anti-stress coffee—my initial impressions are that 1. It totally works. The result is palpable and I feel physically more relaxed and unstressed, yet am still alert. 2. It has a very strong taste—very herbal, so if you don't like things that taste almost-medicinal-herbal, you may not be able to drink this. I'm going to keep this around and use it when I feel like I'm having an especially tough week, but I'm not sure yet whether this is going to be a regular thing for me.<br /><br />4. On weekends I try not to drink coffee unless I have something I need to do, people to see, or need to stay up past 10 p.m. for some reason. To combat and prevent caffeine headaches, I'll have a cup or two of <a href="https://amzn.to/2P2IiuH">Yorkshire Tea</a> in the mornings (with organic milk from grass fed cows—this is the only American milk I've found that even vaguely comes close to British milk). If I skip tea, I'll have a brutal headache by 11 a.m. and nothing besides two Advil and a nap will make it go away.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15381877.post-10804419277260021612018-08-05T19:06:00.003-04:002018-08-05T19:23:18.365-04:00The story of Chinese Food Fight Club<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zcbRh3zB0aA/W2eG22qMBWI/AAAAAAABzH8/Iks8tXaunKwXiGuU1VeupcyDCvU6h7uuwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20180629_135410.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zcbRh3zB0aA/W2eG22qMBWI/AAAAAAABzH8/Iks8tXaunKwXiGuU1VeupcyDCvU6h7uuwCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_20180629_135410.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><b>March 23, 2011:&nbsp;</b>I'd spent seven years at the <i>New York Post</i>&nbsp;before leaving in 2010 to launch Racked National (now just default Racked.com) at the Curbed Network (now a part of Vox) but I was still close with Posties Andy Wang real estate editor and David Landsel travel editor, so we were making plans to meet up. Andy's friend Phiderika had told him about these epic-stealth flash mob dinners that had been happening every Friday night in the basement of a neighborhood Chinese restaurant, Legend on 15th and 7th, and I think we'd been meaning to check it out.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6NPCXkMUprY/W2dkTaEfuEI/AAAAAAABzEU/G6ELARaqptwv-ZWwAao5hb2RcM49RRKTQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0393.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="869" data-original-width="1194" height="464" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6NPCXkMUprY/W2dkTaEfuEI/AAAAAAABzEU/G6ELARaqptwv-ZWwAao5hb2RcM49RRKTQCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_0393.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />Then this happened:<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QzkzFtxZJ5k/W2dnT7_DGEI/AAAAAAABzEg/G0leXva_2FUBSOR802lGlHrKjIqGQFcbwCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-08-05%2Bat%2B5.07.30%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="369" data-original-width="650" height="362" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QzkzFtxZJ5k/W2dnT7_DGEI/AAAAAAABzEg/G0leXva_2FUBSOR802lGlHrKjIqGQFcbwCLcBGAs/s640/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-08-05%2Bat%2B5.07.30%2BPM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />And this:<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DqO5UVZsn18/W2dnqWSiERI/AAAAAAABzEo/kGnp1_WR1ak9aWSXfEESRgvMeRmiO2liQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0394.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1409" data-original-width="1254" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DqO5UVZsn18/W2dnqWSiERI/AAAAAAABzEo/kGnp1_WR1ak9aWSXfEESRgvMeRmiO2liQCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_0394.jpg" width="568" /></a></div><br />I think, to be honest, Sichuan food wasn't as much of a <i>thing</i>&nbsp;in New York at the time, so we were compelled to go immediately mostly because of Dave Chang's tweet and FOMO. That, and I'd just been to a good Sichuan restaurant in Flushing with my parents the weekend before and, you know how it is, once you get a whiff of <i>mala </i>nothing else hits the spot in the quite the same way, especially in the tail-end of a New York City winter.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AAABwgiU75s/W2do65O4pMI/AAAAAAABzE0/HqZ0EX3ZQJEhZ6IJPuFGXuz8R-uJf5QoQCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-08-05%2Bat%2B3.49.54%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="488" data-original-width="641" height="486" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AAABwgiU75s/W2do65O4pMI/AAAAAAABzE0/HqZ0EX3ZQJEhZ6IJPuFGXuz8R-uJf5QoQCLcBGAs/s640/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-08-05%2Bat%2B3.49.54%2BPM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />Seven years on, this first dinner at Legend feels like forever ago. Look at that Foursquare checkin! First of all, Foursquare. Second: I was using an Android! I think it was a Verizon Motorola something with a sliding screen. I think I'd gotten it for free.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qvT7pl8EDWc/W2dp1QL87SI/AAAAAAABzFA/LtCv7Pc1EigBv8u8GtgvUsqaTP2i1vsjACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="980" data-original-width="1125" height="556" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qvT7pl8EDWc/W2dp1QL87SI/AAAAAAABzFA/LtCv7Pc1EigBv8u8GtgvUsqaTP2i1vsjACLcBGAs/s640/IMG_0149.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />A few weeks later, after an email debrief from Andy's friend Phiderika on the unspoken rules of Legend's Friday night dinner, we braved the Friday night dinner. I can't find the email in my Gmail, but it was in listicle format and went something like this: Don't say anything to anybody, walk straight downstairs, sit at any table, don't come with more than four people, there's a section reserved for hotpot, at 7 p.m. sharp the chef or staff will come out to take orders, if you don't know what's going on just let the people at your table order, they'll bring out lots of dishes to share, bring cash to split the bill, it'll be about $25 a head.<br /><br />Sometime that spring, we started calling it <b>Chinese Food Fight Club</b>. Mostly because of all the rules. I also liked that people would come on their own—white collar first-generation Chinese drifters in search of a great, super-spicy meal shared with strangers, everyone after the same thing. It felt very pure.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NkB5A00F7f0/W2dtGLFD0zI/AAAAAAABzFQ/zxBFs1nEqrMlZOl1iEigEBQx8EqEZeQtACLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-08-05%2Bat%2B5.31.51%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="160" data-original-width="863" height="118" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NkB5A00F7f0/W2dtGLFD0zI/AAAAAAABzFQ/zxBFs1nEqrMlZOl1iEigEBQx8EqEZeQtACLcBGAs/s640/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-08-05%2Bat%2B5.31.51%2BPM.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />By June, David had decamped to Detroit and Andy and I had launched full-on Legend evangelism by organizing informal group dinners where he'd invite a gang of real estate people and I'd invite a gang of fashion people and we'd all cram in around one round table downstairs. We called it Chinese Food Fight Club to entice our jaded media friends and colleagues and it was an easy way to one, hang out with people we liked, and two, maximize our meals, so we could order and try as many dishes as possible in one weeknight sitting. In retrospect, with the social media boom just over the horizon and our mid-to-late-30s creeping up on us, it was also the last irl social networking moment I can remember—before the late-Gen X westward migration and the all the babies everyone wound up having just a couple of years down the line. These days we all still talk, but mostly just through screens, tapping on handheld devices with our thumbs.<br /><br />I just now searched my Gmail inbox and it looks like between June 2011 and December 2016, I used the phrase "Chinese Food Fight Club" 127 times. That's a lot of people and a lot of dinners—and it's not even counting "Legend" emails, text messages, or work emails.<br /><br />Then in July, this happened.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IeXib0k7P4Y/W2d1qXNy5pI/AAAAAAABzFw/JtS3ZHB-Vy8PR30bsuFivlYhkOERAy_owCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-08-05%2Bat%2B5.26.01%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="274" data-original-width="850" height="206" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IeXib0k7P4Y/W2d1qXNy5pI/AAAAAAABzFw/JtS3ZHB-Vy8PR30bsuFivlYhkOERAy_owCLcBGAs/s640/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-08-05%2Bat%2B5.26.01%2BPM.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>"To the mystification of the city’s Sichuan food cultists, they continued serving summer rolls and shu mai, all the while putting out word in the Chinese community about the Sichuan cuisine being cooked by the chef Ding Gen Wang, a master who cooked most recently at Grand Sichuan Eastern in Midtown," <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/27/dining/reviews/legend-bar-and-restaurant-nyc-restaurant-review.html?ref=dining">wrote the <i>Times'</i>&nbsp;Julia Moskin</a>. "Despite the confusion and a vast menu still larded with distractions, the aromatic, spicy Sichuan food actually cooked by Chef Wang here is often unbelievably good."<br /><br />For the next few months, getting into Legend was pretty difficult, so Chinese Food Fight Club went on hiatus and we all just did our own thing. Big group dinners became fewer and farther between, but Andy, David, Alex, and I would still make it to Legend regularly—for friends-only pre-dinners, post-event debriefs, life catch-ups, or when someone we knew and respected had never been. We were always trying to take peoples' Legend virginity, and we always told them about Chinese Food Fight Club—as if it had been a long-running dinner series and not just one great season of Sichuan.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lmlePh9hoFY/W2d9ehXMGRI/AAAAAAABzGk/nYrJljIbop0UxvzRxsekgxm-1dRZ76aAQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="660" data-original-width="749" height="562" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lmlePh9hoFY/W2d9ehXMGRI/AAAAAAABzGk/nYrJljIbop0UxvzRxsekgxm-1dRZ76aAQCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_0148.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Legend closed in July 2018. Despite <a href="https://ny.eater.com/2018/8/2/17642504/blue-rooftop-bar-opening-nomad">reports to the contrary</a>, the closure is permanent, and there's another restaurant slated to open in its place. The OG chef left in 2015 (<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/21/nyregion/review-chef-wang-new-sichuan-cuisine-in-new-hyde-park.html">he opened a new restaurant</a> in New Hyde Park), and "New Legend" opened a couple of branches further uptown (the one on the UWS appears to still be open). Andy, David, Alex, and I have been group-texting about the closing all day—I'm the only one of us four who still lives in New York, but I think we all feel this deeply. Over the years, Andy and I brought some big deal people (before they were big deals) to eat fish soup with us in the basement of Legend, but we also brought people we loved who were visiting from out-of-town, because Legend was our spot. Andy would pre-game and post-game much fancier dinners at Legend; for me, it was my go-to order on Seamless, sometimes twice a week. Every time any of these guys come back to New York, we meet at Legend. The last time we were there was June 29—Andy was in from LA and we took Maria, the restaurant editor from my digital team at <i>Food &amp; Wine, </i>for lunch, and it was better than it's ever been.<br /><br />"I was just telling a food writer pal that I've learned one thing over the years," David texted us this morning. "And that is to not wait to celebrate and spend time with restaurants that you love, while they are here or while they are good, because they mostly go away and leave you behind."<br /><br />It's funny how much things can change in seven years. But at the end of the day, Legend was a great neighborhood Chinese restaurant that had an epic run, better than most.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15381877.post-22885122641472916932018-06-10T21:08:00.001-04:002018-06-10T21:08:36.839-04:00Self Care<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oz-J6JkDDCM/Wx3BywpbpyI/AAAAAAABstc/kVwsdy7dVH4rqs_IGru3DTeNhnDN_VgCwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_7608.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1280" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oz-J6JkDDCM/Wx3BywpbpyI/AAAAAAABstc/kVwsdy7dVH4rqs_IGru3DTeNhnDN_VgCwCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_7608.JPG" width="512" /></a></div><br />I went to a Korean spa this morning to get steamed, scrubbed, and kneaded to within an inch of jello—it was the only thing I could think of to do today that might help shed some of last week's skin.<br /><br />I usually get my best (OK, 'best' is debatable—favorite, maybe) ideas when I'm in a taxi either going to or coming from the airport, I don't know why, I think it has something to do with the subtext of potential (leaving NY) or a renewed sense of hope (coming back to NY), but today at some point when the therapist was hurling buckets of hot water at me, I had this sudden thought from under all the horribleness of this past week/month/season/year/presidential administration and I heard these words in my head: It doesn't have to be this way.<br /><br />It can get better. I don't know if it will, but it can.<br /><br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15381877.post-56619823774259466502018-05-29T19:21:00.003-04:002018-05-29T19:21:50.071-04:00Life coaching<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NNGtMpkPy6g/Ww3eOCxrHeI/AAAAAAABsH4/RzkzBGLOv1wL_WgWiRb68FjAw7KhSlScgCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_7355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1201" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NNGtMpkPy6g/Ww3eOCxrHeI/AAAAAAABsH4/RzkzBGLOv1wL_WgWiRb68FjAw7KhSlScgCKgBGAs/s640/IMG_7355.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />Over Memorial Day weekend, I went on the vacation-iest vacation I've been on in years—to Turks &amp; Caicos, on a trip organized by my friend Georgia. Georgia and I worked together, years ago, at a startup that had just launched in New York. It was short-lived (like many startups), but we stayed in touch and a couple of months ago, she got in touch and told me she'd started a travel company, planning small group trips for women who love to vacation. Well. I *love* to vacation, so this weekend I traveled with Georgia's new company <a href="http://www.munsunretreats.com/">MunSun Retreats</a> to Providenciales, where we had run of a private beachfront villa for four days. It was divine. Check out what we got up to in the video below.<br /><br />Not mentioned: On MunSun Retreats, you can sign up for a life coaching session. I did, and it really opened my eyes. It's one thing to turn your problems over and over in your mind, looking for a solution day in and day out, but presenting your issues and laying out all the opportunities and possibilities for solutions in front of a neutral party who's not emotionally embroiled in what you go through every single day... it was really mind-opening. In fact, for the past two days, I haven't been able to stop thinking about the visioning exercise we went through during the session, how light and unstressed I felt and how the vision I had for my professional and work life was so clear. I feel like I know the exact next steps I need to take. <br /><br /><center><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3xC2OuPr0Wc" width="560"></iframe></center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15381877.post-64198708967159493042018-05-20T13:12:00.000-04:002018-05-20T13:13:03.039-04:00New backpack who dis<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UOBVHeio0qk/WwGqhJcrlgI/AAAAAAABrfs/cxB5gWjLfN8xqhEX8TOAPvQzGYvYqXRNwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_7019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UOBVHeio0qk/WwGqhJcrlgI/AAAAAAABrfs/cxB5gWjLfN8xqhEX8TOAPvQzGYvYqXRNwCKgBGAs/s640/IMG_7019.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Four days in Montreal at the Travel Classics conference—I never knew anything like this existed, a program that twice a year brings vetted freelancers and editors together in one place for a long weekend of ideation and collaboration. While I was in town, I didn't have much time to get out of conference mode, but I did catch a light show with the group at the Basilica downtown.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YE86OqTUbME/WwGqhGp9vBI/AAAAAAABrfs/XmgtLNu9KFkGfX7DJqWCzJRf_pVMTKgRwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_7036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YE86OqTUbME/WwGqhGp9vBI/AAAAAAABrfs/XmgtLNu9KFkGfX7DJqWCzJRf_pVMTKgRwCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_7036.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br />And, last minute, I got to try some of Montreal's poutine (topped with Lester's Deli smoked meat!) at the airport on my way home. Breakfast poutine:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UboluF7Qgqg/WwGqhAOEPyI/AAAAAAABrfs/CxTPzUCC5s4OZtAwUvjr5EkGSlWS9-7PwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_7066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UboluF7Qgqg/WwGqhAOEPyI/AAAAAAABrfs/CxTPzUCC5s4OZtAwUvjr5EkGSlWS9-7PwCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_7066.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br />Also made a short video about my *new Prada backpack* (throwback to the '90s!) that I'm super-excited about because I mostly bought it to carry all my work stuff to and from work—I'm walking more now, which I think is good for me since I pretty much don't move at all for the 10-12 hours a day I'm at work. I was especially impressed with the backpack today when I flew back from Montreal and managed to comfortably fit a hardcover (Edward Lee's <i>Buttermilk Graffifi</i>—it's great), a Macbook Air, AND six Montreal bagels in it. Magic. <br /><br /><center><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j_z2T-aSX2U" width="560"></iframe></center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15381877.post-38221492341421408822018-04-17T05:28:00.002-04:002018-04-17T05:30:13.817-04:00Quick Trip: Chengdu and Chongqing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0JLJUaA8F6Q/WtW-lQyJd6I/AAAAAAABjRs/dfBIQoV65N4UbQvH1z6RwBbqQRNLcmJcwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_5775.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="1139" height="356" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0JLJUaA8F6Q/WtW-lQyJd6I/AAAAAAABjRs/dfBIQoV65N4UbQvH1z6RwBbqQRNLcmJcwCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_5775.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Three nights in Chengdu and one night in Chongqing: Glorious but not nearly enough time.<br /><br /><b>Notes:</b><br />— Flew <a href="https://www.hainanairlines.com/US/US/Home">Hainan Airlines'</a> new direct flight from JFK to Chengdu, then back from Chongqing<br />— Stayed at the <a href="http://www.thetemplehousehotel.com/en/default">Temple House</a> in Chengdu (spectacular, centrally located, walk everywhere)<br />— Stayed at the <a href="http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/ckgjw-jw-marriott-hotel-chongqing/">JW Marriott in Chongqing</a> (spectacular, centrally located, take a cab everywhere—seriously, that city is massive)<br /><br />You could probably make a four-day weekend of it, tbh, if you commit to embracing jet lag and sleeping in shifts. More than worth it.<br /><br /><b>Day 1: NYC to Chengdu</b><br /><br /><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nZvmBSyvYmI" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><b>Day 2: Pandas!</b><br /><br /><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oUoOThfrKPY" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><b>I skipped vlogging on Day 3, but here's Day 4: Chengdu to Chongqing</b><br /><br /><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xFNlPZSrEJU" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><b>Day 5: Last day in Chongqing</b><br /><br /><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8m0EdIAFNRQ" width="560"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15381877.post-31154002661562034032018-01-07T20:40:00.001-05:002018-01-07T20:40:43.817-05:00Bad at cheat days<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VUA6qby3xcY/WlLIPSlioAI/AAAAAAABaOw/jovU0NhS6DYNtfiuXP0WITfpTbStn_QYQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_3389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VUA6qby3xcY/WlLIPSlioAI/AAAAAAABaOw/jovU0NhS6DYNtfiuXP0WITfpTbStn_QYQCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_3389.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br />I don't really know what was happening in the East Village at 7:30 this morning, but I was up early because today was my first <i>cheat day</i>&nbsp;of 2018. My weight has gotten a little out of control over the past couple of years so this week I started the Slow Carb Diet (from Tim Ferriss' <i><a href="http://amzn.to/2CDf12M">The 4 Hour Body</a></i>) and, ergo, have not had any sugar over the past five days. Ferriss recommends one full-on cheat day each week—one of the biggest reasons this diet appeals to me—so today was <i>it</i>.<br /><br />Unfortunately, as it turns out, I am not super-good at cheat days.<br /><br />Since I was really excited about finally eating refined carbs, gluten, and sugar again, at least for one wake cycle, I woke up super-early and got to Whole Foods just before 8 a.m. By 8:45 a.m. I'd already inhaled the following and felt <i>high</i>.<br /><br />— 1 grapefruit juice<br />— 1 cherry apple juice<br />— 1 cheese danish<br />— 2 slices of sourdough bread, buttered<br />— 2 packets of Indomie Mi Goreng noodles<br />— 2 Tunnocks caramel wafers<br />— 1 mug of tea with half-and-half<br /><br />I think I overdid it way too early. Bad strategy. And by lunch I still wasn't hungry. So while my family had pizza, I ate a beef patty and felt <i>stuffed</i>. Went home, ate a pint of grapes (fruit!), and have been so full all afternoon I couldn't eat again until now (spaghetti).<br /><br /><b>Key learnings:</b> Need to rethink cheat day strategy for next week; blew through too much sugar and flour way too early in the morning. Could be worth focusing on one particular craving on cheat day, instead—baked goods? fruit? pasta? burgers?<br /><br />Work in progress.<br /><br />It's weird, I kind of can't wait to go back to eating poached eggs and lentils tomorrow morning.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15381877.post-69287822569942680722017-11-26T08:23:00.002-05:002017-11-26T08:24:21.504-05:00Home me vs. travel me<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S33vrqjWnpo" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1600" height="358" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V07WkfwBNbU/Whq3i2qqmgI/AAAAAAABULM/hzb_hsHHxMohb65_EoYLI4wOyOGGuRDCgCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_3161.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><a href="http://www.mlieblinggoldberg.com/">Someone</a> said something to me the other day that I can't stop thinking about: I wish I could be the person I am when I travel when I'm home in New York. Does that grammar make sense? I agree. Me too.<br /><br />I'm lucky, I travel a fair amount—most of the time, I'll go somewhere for work and will bookend the trip with a couple of leisure days before or after. By December, I'll have been to Helsinki, Austin, Philadelphia, &nbsp;Oxford, Brighton, Aspen, the Hamptons, Los Angeles, Nashville, Las Vegas, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Taiwan, and back to Oxford, this year alone.<br /><br />In fact, I wish I could travel <i>more</i>—for so many reasons: the newness, the escapism, the being anywhere else other than at the office, the being anyone else besides my everyday self. This year, international travel has felt especially cathartic—things don't seem quite as <i>dire</i>&nbsp;abroad as they do in the States right now.<br /><br />Even though I live in New York City (where lots of people from all over the world come on their vacations), I think it feels to me just like <i>home</i>&nbsp;feels like to anyone, anywhere. I grew up here, I work 14-hour days here, I commute here, I eat here—every. single. day. For decades.<br /><br />Here are some disjointed thoughts I'd probably try to connect better in prose if I were writing this on someone else's platform:<br /><br />Last week, fresh off a 12-hour flight, I popped over to my friend's house for a belated birthday dinner party (it was sweatpants and pizza themed—the best party theme, ever). We've known each other since we were kids, 13-year-olds, before and after the advent of internet, email, social media, iPhones, and data-driven everything. She's a research scientist and university professor, and her work couldn't be more different to the industry I work in, but we both have the same problem: too much to do. We both love our jobs, we love doing all the things associated with our jobs, but there's just too much. During our conversation I heard myself say something out loud that I've been repeating to myself for years, without ever truly actualizing: We can't control the work, but we can control our reactions.<br /><br />I've been thinking a lot over the past few months about giving myself permission to let go: of stress, the onus of responsibility, emails, endless to-to lists. The most important priority in my work life is revenue and succeeding as a business. All the other "priorities" we're tasked with need to be <i>prioritized</i>. It's not possible to run after 25 things at once and expect to do any of those things well (or even correctly).<br /><br />My energy ebbs and flows in an extreme cadence. I work very hard during the week—most days starting around 5 a.m. at my desk in front of my computer, and usually working until 6:30 or 7 p.m., or whenever I can no longer see the words on the screen in front of me. I lead a team, I make decisions every hour, I put all my creative mind power and energy into my work, collaborating with other departments in the building. <i>On the weekends I'm a puddle.</i> I rarely leave my apartment, I try to avoid speaking to other people, I move as little as possible, I order food delivery on Seamless, maybe I'll do some online shopping.<br /><br /><i>I wish I could be the person I am when I travel when I'm home in New York. </i>Mostly, when I think about this idea, I think about a feeling. When I'm traveling I feel free, inspired, creative, and <i>happy</i>. Somehow I need to find a way to feel that way, even during those weeks I'm on the ground.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com